This article explains how to copy the music stored on an iPod to a computer running Windows or a Mac. You can use the free Sharepod program to transfer the songs stored on any iPod model to your computer. Alternatively, in the case of an older iPod, you can use iTunes and the file manager of the operating system of the platform you are using ("File Explorer" on Windows or "Finder" on Mac).
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Using Sharepod
Step 1. Turn on data sharing on iTunes
Even if Sharepod does not interface directly with iTunes, to transfer the files inside the iPod to the computer, it requires that the Apple software is installed on the system and that it is enabled to share the XML data of the library:
- Launch iTunes.
- Access the menu Edit (on Windows systems) or iTunes (on Mac) located in the upper left corner of the program window.
- Choose the option Preferences….
- Access the card Advanced.
- Select the "Share iTunes library XML with other applications" checkbox.
- Push the button OK.
Step 2. Log in to the Sharepod website
Use the internet browser of your choice and access the URL https://www.getsharepod.com/download/. Sharepod is a free program available for both Windows and Mac platforms that allows you to transfer the songs on an iPod directly to your computer.
Sharepod is compatible with both modern iPods (such as iPod Touch) and iPod classic
Step 3. Download the Sharepod installation file
Push the button Download for PC or Download for Mac positioned at the top of the page that appeared. The Sharepod installation file will be downloaded to your computer.
Step 4. Install Sharepod
The program installation procedure varies slightly depending on the hardware platform in use.
- Windows systems: select the Sharepod installation file with a double click of the mouse, then follow the instructions that will appear on the screen. Sharepod may require QuickTime to be installed. If this is the case, you agree.
- Mac: double click the mouse to select the Sharepod DMG file, drag the Sharepod logo icon into the "Applications" folder, then follow the instructions that will appear on the screen. You may need to manually authorize the installation of Sharepod inside the Mac.
Step 5. Put the iPod into "Disc" mode
If you are using an older model of iPod without a touchscreen, you will need to manually enable "Disk" mode for the computer to be able to detect the device. The procedure for activating "Disc" mode varies depending on the iPod model you are using.
- iPod Nano 6th and 7th generation: Press and hold the buttons simultaneously Standby / Wake up And Home (on 7th generation devices) or Volume down (on 6th generation devices) until the Apple logo appears on the iPod screen. At this point, keep the keys pressed Volume down And Volume up until the confirmation of activation of the "Disc" mode appears on the screen.
- iPod with Click Wheel: Toggles the switch on and off Hold, hold down the button Menu and the central selection one until the Apple logo appears on the screen. At this point, release the buttons you were pressing and keep the button pressed Play / Pause and the central selection one until the confirmation of activation of the "Disc" mode appears on the screen.
- iPod with Touch or Scroll Wheel: Toggle the switch on and off Hold, hold down the keys Play / Pause And Menu until the Apple logo appears on the screen. At this point, release the indicated keys and keep the buttons pressed Play / Pause and the central selection one until the confirmation of activation of the "Disc" mode appears on the screen.
- iPod classic: "Disc" mode is not supported by iPod classic, but it is also not required when you connect the device to your computer.
Step 6. Connect the iPod to the computer
Connect one end of the cable that came with your device to a free USB port on your computer, then plug the other end of the cable into the communication port on your iPod.
If you're using a Mac that doesn't have USB ports, you'll need to purchase a USB 3.0 to USB-C adapter
Step 7. Start Sharepod
Double click on the relevant icon.
Sharepod could start automatically at the end of the installation procedure
Step 8. Press the Done button when prompted
You will be redirected to the main program screen.
At this point you will need to launch iTunes if you haven't done so already or if you have closed it to perform the previous steps. While using Sharepod, iTunes must be running in the background
Step 9. Select the music to copy
Hold down the Ctrl (on Windows systems) or ⌘ Command (on Mac) key while clicking on each individual song you want to transfer to your computer.
If you need to copy all the music on your iPod, skip straight to the sub-item of the next step
Step 10. Select the destination folder
After selecting the music to copy, press the button Transfer located in the lower right corner of the program window, choose the option Transfer selected to a folder, select the destination folder and press the button OK.
If you want to transfer all the songs on the iPod, press the button Transfer, then choose the option Transfer everything to a folder … from the menu that appeared.
Step 11. Press the Go button
It is green in color and is located in the lower right part of the program window. All selected songs will be copied to the specified folder on your computer.
Method 2 of 3: Connect a Dated iPod to a Windows System
Step 1. Understand why this method cannot be used in the case of an iPod Touch
Older iPod models, such as the iPod Nano and iPods with a wheel, use a file format for storing songs that is much easier to manage than modern iPods.
If you need to transfer music stored on an iPod Touch to your computer, use Sharepod
Step 2. Launch iTunes
Double click on the relevant icon. It features a multicolored musical note on a white background.
- If prompted to update the program, press the button Download iTunes and when the update is complete, restart your computer.
- If you haven't installed iTunes on your computer yet, install it now before continuing.
Step 3. Change the iTunes configuration settings
To prevent error messages from appearing or accidental overwriting of files, you will need to change some iTunes settings before you can continue:
- Access the menu Edit.
- Choose the option Preferences….
- Access the card Devices.
- Select the "Prevent automatic syncing with iPod, iPhone and iPad" checkbox.
- Access the card Advanced.
- Select the "Keep iTunes Media Folder Organized" checkbox.
- Select the "Copy files to iTunes Media folder when added to library" checkbox.
- Push the button OK.
Step 4. Put the iPod into "Disc" mode
If you are using an older model of iPod without a touchscreen, you will need to manually enable "Disk" mode in order for the computer to be able to detect the device. The procedure for activating "Disc" mode varies depending on the iPod model you are using.
- iPod Nano 6th and 7th generation: Press and hold the buttons simultaneously Standby / Wake up And Home (on 7th generation devices) or Volume down (on 6th generation devices) until the Apple logo appears on the iPod screen. At this point, keep the keys pressed Volume down And Volume up until the confirmation of activation of the "Disc" mode appears on the screen.
- iPod with Click Wheel: Toggles the switch on and off Hold, hold down the button Menu and the central selection one until the Apple logo appears on the screen. At this point, release the buttons you were pressing and keep the button pressed Play / Pause and the central selection one until the confirmation of activation of the "Disc" mode appears on the screen.
- iPod with Touch or Scroll Wheel: Toggle the switch on and off Hold, hold down the keys Play / Pause And Menu until the Apple logo appears on the screen. At this point, release the indicated keys and keep the buttons pressed Play / Pause and the central selection one until the confirmation of activation of the "Disc" mode appears on the screen.
- iPod classic: "Disc" mode is not supported by iPod classic, but it is also not required when you connect the device to your computer.
Step 5. Connect the iPod to the computer
Connect one end of the cable that came with your device to a free USB port on your computer, then plug the other end of the cable into the communication port on your iPod.
Step 6. Wait for the iPod to be detected by iTunes
As soon as the device icon appears in the upper left part of the program window, you can continue.
Step 7. Access the "Start" menu by clicking the icon
It features the Windows logo and is located in the lower left corner of the desktop.
Step 8. Open a new "File Explorer" window by clicking the icon
It features a small folder and is located at the bottom left of the "Start" menu.
Step 9. Select the iPod icon
It is located inside the left sidebar of the "File Explorer" window. You may have to scroll down the sidebar content to be able to locate and select the iPod name.
If the iPod icon is not visible, select the option This PC, then click the device name located within the "Devices and Drives" section of the middle section of the "File Explorer" window.
Step 10. Turn on the display of hidden files
Access the card View located at the top of the "File Explorer" window, then select the "Hidden Items" checkbox. This way you will have the possibility to extract the music present in the iPod.
Step 11. Go to the "iPod_Control" folder
Simply select it with a double click of the mouse.
Step 12. Open the "Music" folder
The latter is stored in the "iPod_Control" directory. Inside the "Music" folder you will find a series of subfolders with similar names (for example "F00", "F01", "F02" and so on).
Step 13. Select all the items inside the "Music" folder
Click one of the directories stored in the "Music" folder, then press the key combination Ctrl + A.
Step 14. Copy the selected folders by pressing the key combination Ctrl + C
Step 15. Paste the copied data into one of the computer directories
Navigate to the folder where you want to copy the selected data to the iPod, then press the key combination Ctrl + V to paste it to the desired location.
Step 16. Import the newly copied music to iTunes
Once the process of copying files from iPod to computer is complete, you can add them to your iTunes library by following these instructions:
- If necessary, launch iTunes.
- Access the menu File.
- Choose the option Add folder to library ….
- Select the folder you want.
- Push the button Select folder.
- Since by carrying out this procedure all the music in the selected folder will be automatically copied into the "iTunes Media" directory, at the end of the import process you can delete the original folder.
Method 3 of 3: Connect a Dated iPod to a Mac
Step 1. Understand why this method cannot be used in the case of an iPod Touch
Older iPod models, such as the iPod Nano and iPods with a wheel, use a file format for storing songs that is much easier to manage than modern iPods.
If you need to transfer music stored on an iPod Touch to your computer, use Sharepod
Step 2. Launch iTunes
Double click on the relevant icon. It features a multicolored musical note on a white background and is located on the Mac Dock.
- If prompted to update the program, press the button Download iTunes and when the update is complete, restart your computer.
- If you haven't installed iTunes on your computer yet, install it now before continuing.
Step 3. Change the iTunes configuration settings
To prevent error messages from appearing or accidental overwriting of files, you will need to change some iTunes settings before you can continue:
- Access the menu iTunes located in the upper left corner of the screen.
- Choose the option Preferences….
- Access the card Devices.
- Select the "Prevent automatic syncing with iPod, iPhone and iPad" checkbox.
- Access the card Advanced.
- Select the "Keep iTunes Media Folder Organized" checkbox.
- Select the "Copy files to iTunes Media folder when added to library" checkbox.
- Push the button OK.
Step 4. Put the iPod into "Disc" mode
If you are using an older model of iPod without a touchscreen, you will need to manually enable "Disk" mode for the computer to be able to detect the device. The procedure for activating "Disc" mode varies depending on the iPod model you are using.
- iPod Nano 6th and 7th generation: Press and hold the buttons simultaneously Standby / Wake up And Home (on 7th generation devices) or Volume down (on 6th generation devices) until the Apple logo appears on the iPod screen. At this point, keep the keys pressed Volume down And Volume up until the confirmation of activation of the "Disc" mode appears on the screen.
- iPod with Click Wheel: Toggles the switch on and off Hold, hold down the button Menu and the central selection one until the Apple logo appears on the screen. At this point, release the buttons you were pressing and keep the button pressed Play / Pause and the central selection one until the confirmation of activation of the "Disc" mode appears on the screen.
- iPod with Touch or Scroll Wheel: Toggle the switch on and off Hold, hold down the keys Play / Pause And Menu until the Apple logo appears on the screen. At this point, release the indicated keys and keep the buttons pressed Play / Pause and the central selection one until the confirmation of activation of the "Disc" mode appears on the screen.
- iPod classic: "Disc" mode is not supported by iPod classic, but it is also not required when you connect the device to your computer.
Step 5. Turn on viewing of hidden files and folders
Select the icon Spotlight
located in the upper right corner of the screen, then follow these instructions:
- Type in the terminal keyword.
-
Select the icon Terminal
Macterminal with a double click of the mouse.
- Type the command defaults write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles -boolean true; killall Finder inside the "Terminal" window.
- Press the Enter key.
Step 6. Connect the iPod to the computer
Connect one end of the cable that came with your device to a free USB port on your computer, then plug the other end of the cable into the communication port on your iPod.
If you're using a Mac that doesn't have USB ports, you'll need to purchase a USB 3.0 to USB-C adapter
Step 7. Wait for the iPod to be detected by iTunes
As soon as the device icon appears in the upper left part of the program window, you can continue.
Step 8. Open a "Finder" window by clicking the icon
It features a stylized blue face and is placed directly on the Mac Dock.
Step 9. Select your iPod name
It is listed inside the left sidebar of the "Finder" window. A new device window will appear.
If you can't find the name of the iPod it means that you have to scroll down the sidebar of the "Finder" window (the iPod should be listed in the "Devices" section)
Step 10. Go to the "iPod_Control" folder
Simply select it with a double click of the mouse.
Step 11. Open the "Music" folder
The latter is stored in the "iPod_Control" directory. Inside the "Music" folder you will find a series of subfolders with similar names (for example "F00", "F01", "F02" and so on).
Step 12. Select all the items inside the "Music" folder
Click one of the directories stored in the "Music" folder, then press the key combination ⌘ Command + A.
Step 13. Copy the selected folders by pressing the key combination ⌘ Command + C
Step 14. Paste the copied data into one of the computer directories
Navigate to the folder where you want to copy the selected data from the iPod, then press the key combination ⌘ Command + V to paste it to the desired location.
Step 15. Import the copied music into iTunes
After transferring the files from the iPod directly to the Mac you can import them to iTunes by following these instructions:
- If necessary, launch iTunes.
- Access the menu File.
- Choose the option Add to library ….
- Select the folder you want.
- Push the button You open.
